Yarn controlling member



Feb. 11, 1936.

I v. LOMBARDI YARN CONTROLLING MEMBER Original Filed July 21, 1952 L INVENTOR. l l'flceflflambardl ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES YABN- CONTROLLING MEMBER Vincent Lombardi, Garden City, N. Y., assignor to Lombardi Knitting Machine Co. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 21, 1932, Serial No. 623,752

Renewed March 4, 1935 18 Claims.

This invention relates to yarn controlling devices such as knitting needles and has for an object the provision of a yarn controlling element capable of a variety of uses in a'knitting machine such as to facilitate racking or otherwise of use in the transfer of a yarn loop from one needle to another to create desired pattern effects in a knitted fabric. The construction is also such as to facilitate the selective control of such needles for racking purposes by any suitable pattern mechanism.

The preferred embodiment of this invention as applied to a needle of the latched type comprises a protruding cam surface or butt on one side of the needle shank immediately below the hook and latch of the needle. The shank below this side butt is tapered so as to facilitate the sidewise bending of the upper needle shank when such a movement is initiated by the passage of a cam or the needle otherwise contacts with a controlling member to cause yarn loops to be transferred to such a needle from an adjacent needle.

This invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 represents a latched needle embodying this invention; Fig. 2 is similar to Fig. 1 except that it has the additional feature of a pivoted member on the lower end of the shankto facilitate pattern control;

Fig. 3 shows a modification in which the new cam surface is a rounded butt;

Fig 4 is a further modification in which the butt is made by bending the needle shank;

Fig. 5 shows another way the needle shank may be bent to provide the desired cam surface;

Fig. 6 illustrates how a metal tab projecting desired cam surface;

Fig. '7 illustrates the needle of Fig. 1 in a modifled needle slot;

Fig. 8 illustrates a needle of this invention in a second type of needle slot;

7 Fig. 9 illustrates a further modification of a needle to facilitate the transfer of yarn loops; and

Fig. 10 shows a plurality of needles of the type of Fig. 9 mounted in suitable slots.

Referring more particularly to Fig. l, the needle disclosed therein is of the latched type having a hook I i and a latch 52 mounted at the upper end of the needle shank t8. Suitably formed near the lower end of the shank is the usual butt it used to secure the advancnt or retraction of the from the needle shank may be utilized for theneedle during knitting operations. Mounted on the side of the shank a short distance below the lower end of the latch when in open position is a special butt it which when actuated will cause a side-wise bending of the needle shank a desired 5 distance to bring the needle near an adjacent needle. The manner in which this may be done will be described later.

Fig. 2 is similar to Fig. 1' in most respects except that the usual butt 1 at the lower end of the m shank is replaced by a pivoted member l6. This pivoted member l6 may be selectively actuated by pattern control means to secure the desired advancement or retraction of the needleto bring the butt l5 into play or for other purposes. When 5 suitable pattern control means has actuated member 56 to throw its upper end ll away from the needle shank cams may cooperate with said upper end to retract the needle a sumcient distance to bring butt l5 into operation while when the lower ,20 end I8 is thrown away from the needle shank the said lower end may contact with a suitable cam to cause the advance of the needle to a position where butt I5 is not elfective to bendthe needle.

Fig. 3 requires no detailed explanation as it 25 corresponds to Fig. 1 except as to the formation of the special butt on the side of the needle shank. In Fig. 3 the special butt l9 corresponds to butt is of Fig. 1 except that the butt I9 is tapered on both sides of its point of maximum 0 size while for butt IS the taper is only on the lower side.

Other ways of forming the special butt are shown in Figs. 4 to 6.inclusive. In Fig. 4 the needle shank is bent to form a ridge 20 which acts as the butt. In Fig. 5 the upper part 2| of the shank near the needle latch is in a plane projected to the right of the plane of the main portion of the needle shank so as to give the effect of a butt or protuberance. In Fig. 6 the butt takes the form of a tab 22 projecting from the front of the shank'and then bent at right angles thereto. These illustrate only a few of the various ways which may be used to obtain the desired butt on the side of the needle shank. v

into the trough 29 of the other needle.

normal length for the needle cylinder or needle dial is represented by the portion 24 to the right of the special needle l3 while the needle dial or cylinder portion23 immediately to the left of the special needle is cut away a substantial amount. With the two different lengths of sections 23 and 24 it will be apparent that the retraction of needle l3 if carried sufiiciently far will cause butt I 5 to contact with the side of section 24 and cause the upper portion of needle shank l3 to be bent to the left as shown for example in Fig. 8. Of course if the retraction does not cause butt E5 to contact with section 24 there will be an.

ordinary retraction with no sidewise bending of the needle shank. A suitable cam 25 is shown schematically in Fig. 7 which when passing needle l3 will contact with the butt l4 and cause the needle to be retracted to the position shown in Fig. 8 which is the position assumed by the needle after the passage of such a cam 25.

The amount of sidewise bending thus produced may be as large as desired in order to place the upper end of needle l3 in contact or closely adjacent the upper end of another needle so that a yarn loop may be transferred from one needle to another. For example needle l3 of Fig. 7 may be a dial needle and the bending of its top as in Fig. 8 may cause a transfer-between it and an associated cylinder needle.

In Fig. 8 it is demonstrated that the needle cylinder or dial sections can be made of the same length as shown by sections 21, 28, where the cam action on butt I9 is due to a separate member 26 suitably supported from the needle dial or cylinder.

A further embodiment of this invention is shown in Figs. 9 and which shows how a yarn loop may be transferred from one cylinder needle to an adjacent cylinder needle. The needle is of the construction shown in Fig. 9 where the shank i 3 has the usual butt l4. The upper end has a rounded hook surmounted by a special pointed projection 3| which as shown in Fig. 10 is in alignment with one side of the needle shank but in Fig. 10 where two needles are shown of the type of Fig. 9, the needle on the left being in an elevated position and the needle on the right being in a lowered position to the extent that butt .30 contacting with the right hand side wall 33 of the needle groove has bent the needle shank to the left so that the tip 3| of one needle fits It may be assumed that this arrangement has been reached by the elevation of the needle on the left and the retraction of the needle on the right. It may also be assmued that there is a yarn loop on the left needle say just below the butt 39. If now both needles are advanced (the loop on the left needle remaining stationary) it follows that the right hand needle will also enter said loo'p. If the right needle is now held stationary and the left needle fully retracted it follows that the said loop will be transferred from the left needle to the right needle and that this transfer has been facilitated by the upper end of the right needle fitting into the recess in the left needle thereby preventing the said yarn loop being caught as it is brought over the right needle as. both needles are advanced.

The needles shown in Fig. 10 are particularly adapted for use as cylinder needles to obtain the transfer of a yarn loop from one cylinder needle to an adjacent cylinder needle in the manner just described. It may be assumed that portions 32 and 33 represent the normal height of the needle cylinder and that the portion 34 between the two needles has been cut away to a lower level 34 to permit the right hand needle to be bent over to contact with the needle on the left. Each of the needles shown in Fig. 10 fits into a needle slot in the usual manner, two parallel sides of each needle slidingly contactingwith the two side walls of the slot. It will also be noted that the special butt 30 and recess 29 are located on one of the sides of the needle just mentioned while the usual cam operated butt l4 for advancing or retracting the needle is located on one of the edges of the needle.

Referring particularly to the arrangements shown in Figs. 9 and 10 the depression 29 may in some cases be on the side of the needle opposite that on which the butt 3!! is placed. Thus in Fig. 10 the needle shown in a lowered position has its pointed end resting in the depression 29 of the other needle, while if the positions of the two needles were reversed the pointed end of the needle on .the left would rest in the de pression 29 of the needle on the right.

As an alternative possibility in Fig. 8, the needle shown therein may be bent or racked by raising the needle when butt I9 is placed between portions 26 and 28 and is moved into engagement with portion 26.

It will be understood that the various embodiments of the invention described above are for illustrative purposes only and that the invention may possess other forms without departing in any wise from the spirit of this invention as defined in the appended claims. The racking butt of this invention, for example, is applicable to other types of needles such as heard type needles.

What is claimed is:

l. A knitting machine needle comprising a single unitary shank, a yarn receiving hook at only 1 one end of said shank, and a cam operated butt on said shank projecting away from said shank in a direction at right angles to the plane of saidhook, said butt being relatively close to said hook compared to a point on saidv shank halfway between the ends of said shank.-

2. A knitting machine needle comprising an undivided unitary shank having a hook and latch at one end to receive and hold a yarn, a butt projecting from an edge of said shank near the other end, and a cam operated butt near said hook on a. side of said shank at right angles to said edge whereby in the operation of said needle in a knitting machine the hooked end of the shank will be deflected by a cam contacting with said second butt, said second butt being relatively close to said hook compared to a point on said shank halfway betwen the ends of said shank.

shank terminating in a hook for receiving yarn, a pointed projection rising from the top side of said hook, a recess in a side of said shank near said hook, and a butt on said last mentioned side between said recess and said hook.

5. In combination, a knitting needle comprising a shank, a hooked end on said needle for receiving a yarn passing transversely of its length, projecting means near the other end of said needle for movement of said needle along its length, an extension from said shank near the hooked end and extending substantially parallel to the direction of passage of the yarn, a stationary member of a knitting machine having a groove for receiving said needle and guiding it in its lengthwise movement, a cam portion extending into the path of travel of said needle extension, and a movable cam for engagement with said projecting means to move said extension into cooperation with said cam portion to rack said hooked end in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of said passing Yam.

6. The combination in accordance with claim 5 in which said projecting means on said needle is adapted to be selectively adjusted for engagement or disengagement with said movable cam.

7. In a knitting machine, a plurality of needles, having yarn receiving hooks, a stationary member having a plurality of substantially parallel grooves for receiving and guiding said needles, movable camming means for operating said needles longitudinally along said grooves, each of said needles having a camming portion for engagement with said stationary member to rack the hooked end of'the needle towards an adjacent needle in response to operation by said camming means.

8. In a knitting machine, a plurality of needles having shanks and yarn receiving hooks, a needle guide having grooves for receiving said ,needles,

movable camming means for operating said needles along said grooves, camming means on said needles for engagement with said needle guide to flex said needles each towards an adjacent needle responsive to said operation, and operating members mounted on said needles each relatively adjustable in its angular position with respect to its shank and adapted for storing of its setting for engagement or disengagement with said camming means for selective flexing of individual needles in a predetermined order.

9. The combination in accordance with claim 8 in which said plurality of needles are arranged to cooperate in pairs by the flexing of one needle of a pair towards the other, said one needle having its hook shaped with a terminating point and said other needle having a depression in the side of its main body portion for reception of said point during said flexing to facilitate transfer of a yarn loop from one needle of a pair to the other.

10. In combination, a knitting needle comprising a shank, a hooked end on said shank for receiving yarn lying transversely of the length of said shank, projecting meansnear the other end of said shank for actuation to secure movement of said needle in the direction of its length, an

extension on said shank near said hooked end and extending away from the side of said shank generally parallel to the direction of passage of the yarn, a stationary member of a knitting machine having a groove for receiving said needle and guiding it in its lengthwise movement, cam means extending at times into the path of travel of said shank extension, and a movable cam for engagement with said projecting means to move said extension into cooperation with said cam means to racksaid hooked end in a direction substantially transverse to the length of said shank.

11. A knitting machine needle comprising a shank terminating in a hook for receiving yarn, said shank having two parallel sides substantially parallel to the plane formed by said hook, a recess in one of said sides and a butt cam operated on one of said sides, the distance between said butt and hook being less than the distance between said recess and said hook.

12. A needle in accordance with claim 11 in which said butt and said recess are on opposite sides of said shank.

13. In combination, a needle having a shank terminating in a hook for receiving yarn, said shank having two parallel sides parallel to the plane formed by said hook, a needle guide having a slot for receiving said needle, said parallel sides contacting with the two sides of said slot, a butt on one of said shank sides located adjacent said hook, and cam means contacting at times with said butt for deflecting said hook in a direction substantially at right angles to the plane of said hook.

14. In combination, a knitting machine needle comprising a shank terminating at one end in a yarn receiving member, said shank having two parallel sides adapted to slidingly contact with the sides of one of a series of needle slots in a knitting machine, and a recess in one of said shank sides adapted to receive at times the upper portion of a yarn receiving member of a needle in an adjacent slot parallel to said first slot.

15. In combination, a knitting machine needle having a single unitary shank terminating in a hook for receiving yarn, said shank having two parallel sides parallel to the plane formed by said hook, a needle guide having a slot for receiving the major portion of the shank of said needle,

said shank sides contacting with the two sides of said slot, and a cam operated butt on one of said shank sides projecting generally in a direction substantially at right angles to the plane of said hook, said butt being relatively close to said hook compared to a point on said shank halfway between the ends of said shank.

16. A pair of knitting elements in parallel relation, one of said elements having a long shank portion and a camming surface for flexing of the elements, the other of said elements having a recessed portion in one side for receiving one end of said first element.

17. A knitting needle and another knitting element in adjacent parallel relation to said knitting needle, a recess in one side of said needle for receiving one end of said element, and a camming projection on .said element for flexing one end thereof relative to said needle, said needle having cam engaging means for lengthwise movement thereof.

18. A pair of cooperating knitting elements in adjacent parallel relation, one of said elements being a knitting needle and having a recessed portion for receiving one end of the other element, and one of said elements having a camming projection for flexing thereof toward and away from the other element, and one of said elements having cam engaging means for its lengthwise movement to effect said flexing.

' VINCENT LOMBARDI. 

